The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Monday that its 2008 annual meeting in June and July will take place in Dubai, where the global governing body has its headquarters.

It means that for the first time in its 99-year-history, the ICC will hold its annual meeting somewhere other than London's Lord's Cricket Ground.

The change has been prompted by uncertainty over whether Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Peter Chingoka would be admitted to Britain.

An ICC statement issued on Monday said the conference week, which will include meetings of the ICC chief executives' committee and the ICC board, would take place in Dubai from June 29 to July 4.

It added: "The annual conference week was originally scheduled to be held at Lord's in London. The decision to move the location to the United Arab Emirates was made by the ICC board on the basis that all delegates required to attend would be permitted entry."

British ICC president-elect David Morgan, who will take over from Ray Mali of South Africa at the conference, told reporters at Lord's on Saturday: "He (Chingoka) applied to the British authorities in Harare to attend this year's annual conference.

"That visa has neither been granted or refused. The ICC at its last board meeting took a decision that if it wasn't certain that Mr Chingoka was going to be in possession of a visa by April 15 then the conference week would be relocated from here to Dubai."

England's hosting of next year's ICC World Twenty20 has been threatened by the British government's hardline opposition to the regime of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.

However, Morgan said: "The ICC World Twenty20, in my opinion, will go ahead at the two grounds in London (Lord's and The Oval) and at Trent Bridge."

This meeting will be the first the ICC has held since it was announced that chief executive Malcolm Speed would be going on paid leave for the final two months of his contract.

The Australian is standing down following a "fundamental breakdown" between himself and several board members, including Mali, over the controversial issue of Zimbabwe.

Speed was particularly frustrated by the ICC board's failure, following its March meeting, to take any significant action against Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) after an independent forensic audit carried out by leading accountants KPMG raised questions about the state of ZC's finances.

His exit has again raised questions as to whether ICC can rise above the self-interest of its members and run world cricket effectively.

Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor, who said he regretted the departure of Speed, previously chief executive of the Australian Cricket Board, added in a statement: "Cricket is becoming a genuinely global sport and will only have a long-term, sustainable future if the diverse interests within the game can put the game's interests ahead of any other interests."

Earlier on Monday, former ICC chairman Malcolm Gray, who appointed Speed to his ICC post labelled his compatriot's exit as "disgraceful".

Speed will go on paid leave from April 30 until the end of his contract term on July 4.

David Richardson, the ICC's general manager, will serve as interim chief executive until fellow South African Haroon Lorgat takes over as planned as chief executive at the annual conference.